About the Book

Book: The Broken Weathervane

Author: Laura DeNooyer

Genre: Women’s fiction, dual timeline fiction, literary fiction, book club fiction

Release Date: September 2, 2025

Two co-workers seek the same information. One wants to publish it; the other has good reasons to keep it hidden.

As Leslie Wickersham, Raymond University grants officer, seeks information to unravel a family mystery, English professor Gregory Stafford seeks an elusive interview with one more Buckwalter relative for his upcoming author biography. While Greg and Leslie guard coveted details from each other, her goals are further complicated by letters of blackmail threatening to reveal all she has worked hard to hide.

In this dual timeline novel alternating between 2015 and the 1950s, loyalty is tested and secrets abound when family honor collides with truth. Leslie grapples with the trade-off: how far will a person go to help a loved one thrive?

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About the Author

Laura DeNooyer thrives on creativity and encouraging it in others. A Calvin College graduate, she is a teacher, wife, parent of four adult children, and an award-winning author of heart-warming historical and contemporary fiction. Her novels are perfect for fans of Patti Callahan Henry, Erin Bartels, or Amanda Cox. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading, walking, drinking tea with friends, or taking a road trip.

More from Laura

The Shame of Silence

In the 1950s, nobody talked openly about mental illness. We think it’s stigmatized today; it was worse then.

When a family member is physically ill or in an accident, folks will line up outside your door to bring comfort or casseroles. It’s an easily shared prayer request. But when a family member has an episode related to mental illness, it’s shrouded in secrecy and shame. Thus, the people most needing prayers and support don’t get them.

That’s the experience of Fritz, Eddie, and Klara Buckwalter in the 1950s timeline of The Broken Weathervane.

Leave It to Beaver

Television in the 1950s became a household word with its daily entertainment. Sitcoms included Danny Thomas’s Make Room for Daddy, I Love Lucy, Our Miss Brooks, and Father Knows Best. Variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show along with comedy shows featuring George Burns, Jack Benny, and Red Skelton had viewers laughing in living rooms across America.

But those shows illuminated the lighter side of life. Today, we fondly embrace the innocence and nostalgia of Leave It to Beaver. But that’s far-fetched from everyday realities. Especially for those plagued by mental illness.

Old Dog, New Tricks

In the 2015 timeline, two co-workers are at cross purposes—both seeking the same information for different reasons.

When my protagonist Leslie Wickersham is hired as the grants officer at Raymond University, she doesn’t count on having to teach an old dog new tricks. By dog, I mean the brassy, pretentious English professor, Dr. Gregory Stafford—who isn’t all that old, but is behind the times.

The dean expects Leslie to drag Greg into the 21st century via social media, something Greg has relegated to the annals of Hogwash and Absurdity.

Their proximity becomes her chance to pick his brain for nuggets from his upcoming biography of local author Linus Fritz Buckwalter.

But she can’t let him know that Fritz is her great-uncle. Or that the one last interview Greg is holding out for—Klara Buckwalter—is Leslie’s grandmother.

Due to Klara’s silence, Leslie hopes Greg holds the key to knowledge about the family rift.

Answers start appearing when Klara gives Leslie her 1950s diary. The answers are shocking—but also contradict Greg’s research.

If you appreciate stories with:

small town family secrets
family drama
dual timelines (2015 and 1950s)
moral dilemmas
family loyalty vs. honesty
an honest, tender treatment of mental illness

. . . then this story will touch your heart.

My hope is that book club discussions will help increase understanding, transparency, and empathy for those who suffer. Open dialogue about mental illness is that important first step toward reducing the stigma associated with it. The Broken Weathervane is the perfect catalyst for that.

Author Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about what readers can expect from your books? 

I love writing the kind of stories I like to read. Whether contemporary or historical, I enjoy writing about the challenges of working through dysfunctional family drama and complex relationships. My stories serve food for thought along with hope and second chances.

Regarding genre, I’ve hopped all over the place. Story ideas call to me without regard for genre boundaries. All That Is Hidden is Southern historical fiction set near the Smokies in 1968. A Hundred Magical Reasons is biographical historical fiction—and dual timeline. Both would be considered literary fiction. Another dual timeline story, The Broken Weathervane qualifies as contemporary women’s fiction (2015 and 1950s). My next two books will be women’s fiction and Biblical fiction, respectively.

Perhaps the common thread is a small-town setting with multi-layered family drama that raises difficult questions. They all make good discussion for book clubs.

 Can you share 5 random facts about this book?

1. The 1950s timeline has references to the popular sitcoms of the day—such as Make Room for Daddy (Danny Thomas), I Love Lucy, and The Red Skelton Show.

2. Swift & Company packaged peanut butter in reusable glass tumblers that featured The Wizard of Oz characters. Nowadays they are still collectors’ items. Being an avid Wizard of Oz fan, I had to include these glass peanut butter jars at the Buckwalter Brothers Grocery in the 1950s timeline.

3. There is mention of several German dishes, including Beef Rouladen, Schnitzel, Potato Dumplings, Black Forest Cake, Bee Sting Cake, and Apple Strudel.

4. The story is set in two fictional small towns in southeast Wisconsin, Avondale and Dillard, like the town where I live. I’m partial to small towns and almost every story I write is set in one.

5. The protagonist Leslie is required to teach a stuffy, resistant professor how to use social media.

What was the inspiration behind it?

The Broken Weathervane is dedicated to my dad. Over the years, he shared a family story about his father and uncle who were in business together with their youngest brother who struggled quite a bit. The two older brothers did everything in their power to help him succeed in his own businesses and later let him work at theirs.

I loved the way they cared for him despite all the difficulties they encountered. I’d always wondered what the issues were. This was the spark of the 1950s timeline in my novel. Then the characters took on lives of their own.

Last year, my dad was in hospice for five months. I was glad I had the chance to tell him I’d dedicated the book to him. He was surprised and pleased. It was bittersweet launching a book (with a time frame out of my control) while watching him decline. He passed away nine days after the book was released—after cheering me on through all those months prior.

In the 2015 timeline, I needed two people at cross purposes with each other—both seeking the same information (from the 1950s) for different reasons. The story alternates between 2015 and the 1950s as we learn what happened in the Buckwalter family.   

What was the most challenging part of bringing this book to life? 

Both Fritz and Eddie Buckwalter were a challenge for me. In the 1950s timeline, I wrote in Fritz’s larger-than-life personality and voice. Other than our common interest in storytelling through writing novels, we are nothing alike. He’s a businessman, for one thing, and an extrovert who loves being the center of attention.

His brother Eddie struggles with mental illness. I purposely didn’t use Eddie’s point of view because I didn’t believe I could do him justice, considering his challenges. So, I instead wrote from the perspectives of his wife Klara and his brother Fritz. I think that helps in making Eddie a sympathetic character. Despite their aggravation and confusion about his antics, they love him dearly.

What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

My hope is that book club discussions about the characters’ situations will help increase understanding, transparency, and empathy for those who suffer from mental illness. Open conversation is that important first step toward reducing the stigma associated with it. A fictional story is the perfect catalyst for that.

When a family member is physically ill or in an accident, church folks will line up outside your door to bring comfort or casseroles. It’s an easily shared prayer request. But when a family member has an episode related to mental illness, it is shrouded in secrecy and shame. Thus, the people most needing prayers and support don’t get them.

I am most blessed when readers write to tell me how The Broken Weathervane resonated with them due to their own experiences with friends or family members struggling with mental illness.

One reader wrote this: “You’ve written a deeply compassionate novel that treats mental illness, family loyalty, and love with rare nuance, allowing truth to emerge without spectacle, and healing to feel earned rather than convenient.”

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers keep up with what’s next?

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